TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Keena Miller
Office: 512-462.5328
Cell: 512.658.4444
Email: [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Better Hearing Center of Austin is Texas School for the Deaf’s 2011 Partner
of the Year
Austin, Texas JUNE 7, 2011 The Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) proudly names
The Better Hearing Center of Austin its 2011 Partner of the Year.
At the school’s annual Diamond Event fundraising gala last week, Saleem
Assaf, Clinician at The Better Hearing Center of Austin, accepted the honor
from TSD Superintendent Claire Bugen in recognition of the Center’s
scholarship program that has provided seventeen hearing instruments to deaf
and hard of hearing students over the last 3 years, with a total retail
value of over $40,000.00 – donations given directly to assist TSD students.
Assaf started The Better Hearing Scholarship at the Center in 2008 to
provide hearing instruments to students at the Texas School for the Deaf
(TSD). When Assaf first approached the school to get involved in the hearing
aid program, he was surprised that no program already existed. “I couldn’t
believe that other dispensers were not doing this, not helping out,” Assaf
said.
Many students at TSD have varying degrees of hearing and hearing loss. And
Assaf knows, even if profoundly hard of hearing, a child benefits a great
deal from a good, strong hearing instrument to detect sound. “While a
hearing aid might not help a student understand words,” he says, “the
instrument can still provide valuable amplification so students can be more
aware of their surroundings for basic peace of mind and safety.”
When patients who get new hearing aids at the Better Hearing Center elect to
contribute to the scholarship fund, the Center matches donations made
between $25-$50. When enough funds are available to purchase a hearing aid.
Assaf contacts TSD’s audiologists who determine which students will benefit
the most. A single instrument can retail for up to $3,000. The Better
Hearing Center is able to purchase the hearing aids at their cost for a
significant savings, and the donated hearing aid becomes the student’s
property.
TSD Audiologist, Cristie Jones, says, “This scholarship program is a great
asset for students at TSD. Through their generosity, Assaf and the Center
are making personal amplification available to students who do not have
their own aids and may have previously had to rely on loaners-which are
often not perfectly fitted for them. Having hearing aids to call their own
gives them great pride and teaches them to be responsible and properly care
for them.” Not to mention the transformation that often happens when a
child hears something for the very first time. Jones and Assaf agree that the
real reward is seeing the students react and excel with the new instruments.
When patients visit the Center, they see the information about contributing
to the scholarship, with photos and thank you notes displayed from students
who have benefited. “And now,” Assaf says, “they will see the TSD Partner of
the Year Award prominently displayed too, which we are very proud to show
off.”
At the Better Hearing Center, Assaf and his patients enjoy helping students
at TSD to live better with better hearing. “We’ve had a very positive
response from our clients about the scholarship program,” says Assaf, “so I
know this is the right thing to do.” The Center provides a full range of
hearing healthcare services from ear examinations and cleaning to speech
understanding assessments and hearing tests.
To learn more, visit the Better Hearing Center of Austin at 2500 West
William Cannon, Suite 501, or http://www.betterhearingofaustin.com, or
call Saleem Assaf at 512-282.4327.
With a strong belief in culture and community at TSD, students form a unique
identity based on their individual strengths and talents. At TSD, students
learn, grow, and belong. For more information about TSD,
http://www.tsd.state.tx.us